Automated workflow demonstrates mixed treatment impacts on burn severity across ecoregion scales

Background Intensifying wildfire activity in western North America has motivated focus on fuel treatments as a tool for moderating fire severity. Treatment effectiveness is influenced by complex interactions among biophysical settings, treatments and weather. Aims This study introduces a standardized, scalable workflow to quantify wildfire-treatment outcomes across diverse landscapes. Methods We evaluated federal fuel treatments across 50 wildfires in southern Oregon and Northern California (2012–2021). We analyzed outcomes across two distinct landscapes: the productive, western Klamath mountains (west) and the more arid southeastern Cascades (east) to predict the probability of high severity fire. Results In the east, treatments reduced the probability of high-severity fire, especially treatments less than 9 years old. Thinning followed by prescribed fire mitigated high-severity effects even during extreme fire conditions. Conversely, in the west, large fire spread days primarily predicted high severity, masking the effect of treatments and other bottom-up drivers. Conclusions In pine systems with low topographic complexity, fuel treatments that remove both canopy and surface fuels from stands lower the likelihood of high severity fire within 9 years of implementation, including under extreme fire conditions. Implications This study proposes an open-source workflow to evaluate the conditions which treatments are effective across large landscapes.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Wildland Fire
Published
2026-09-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1071/wf25304
Primary Topic
Fire effects on ecosystems
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Automated workflow demonstrates mixed treatment impacts on burn severity across ecoregion scales

Jonathan L. Batchelor, Mike A. Battaglia, Caden P. Chamberlain, Camille S. Stevens‐Rumann et al.
International Journal of Wildland Fire
Fire effects on ecosystems
article

Automated workflow demonstrates mixed treatment impacts on burn severity across ecoregion scales

Jonathan L. Batchelor, Mike A. Battaglia, Caden P. Chamberlain, Camille S. Stevens‐Rumann, Jessica Miesel, Elizabeth C. Black, Jens T. Stevens, Ernesto Alvarado, Leo O’Neill, C. Alina Cansler, Matthew B. Dickinson, Alexander Arkowitz, Hannah Van Dusen, Andrew S. Johnson, Mark R. Kreider, Morris Johnson, Eric E. Knapp
article en

Abstract

Background Intensifying wildfire activity in western North America has motivated focus on fuel treatments as a tool for moderating fire severity. Treatment effectiveness is influenced by complex interactions among biophysical settings, treatments and weather. Aims This study introduces a standardized, scalable workflow to quantify wildfire-treatment outcomes across diverse landscapes. Methods We evaluated federal fuel treatments across 50 wildfires in southern Oregon and Northern California (2012–2021). We analyzed outcomes across two distinct landscapes: the productive, western Klamath mountains (west) and the more arid southeastern Cascades (east) to predict the probability of high severity fire. Results In the east, treatments reduced the probability of high-severity fire, especially treatments less than 9 years old. Thinning followed by prescribed fire mitigated high-severity effects even during extreme fire conditions. Conversely, in the west, large fire spread days primarily predicted high severity, masking the effect of treatments and other bottom-up drivers. Conclusions In pine systems with low topographic complexity, fuel treatments that remove both canopy and surface fuels from stands lower the likelihood of high severity fire within 9 years of implementation, including under extreme fire conditions. Implications This study proposes an open-source workflow to evaluate the conditions which treatments are effective across large landscapes.

International Journal of Wildland FireVol. 35(9)
US Forest Service (US), University of Idaho (US), University of Washington (US), Northern Research Station (US), Black Forest Engineering (United States) (US), Pacific Northwest Research Station (US), Pacific Southwest Research Station (US), Forest Research (GB), Rocky Mountain Research Station (US), Forest Stewards Guild (US), Department of Forestry (MW), Rocky Mountain Research (United States) (US), University of Montana (US), Colorado State University (US)
Rocky Mountain Research Station
Openalex Percentile: Top 14%
Fire effects on ecosystems
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